Foreign phobia in Japan.

Japan regulations and laws concerning foreigners are by far the toughest I know so far, from any country I have been to, other than Saudi Arabia of course.

One cannot get a visa for more than a year, even if married to a Japanese, and weather it may be a spousal visa or a work visa or any other visa for that matter, one is a the mercy of the sponsor at all times! It take five years before a foreigner can get a visa for a 3 year duration and it takes a total of 10 years before one can even apply for permanent residency, now to become Japanese National that is even harder to do! On one hand Japanese are extremely friendly and polite, yet on the other there are very reclusive and even a times foreign phobic, one could say! Even though Japan is in desperate need of immigrants due to it’s extremely low birth rates and rapidly ageing population, it is very reluctant to accept immigration and immigrants, at least from a policy and lawmakers point of view and the majority of the population usually votes those in.

Foreign workers are not always well treated nor respected either, more like a necessary nuisance, a little bit like it used to be in Western Europe some 30 years ago and still is in France and Briton to some extend. However even France and Briton have come a long way compared to Japan, their Laws and regulation are rather progressive and generous towards foreign-Workers and immigrants! One can hear it in statements such as “Foreign workers are dangerous or criminals, crime is going up due to foreigners…” Even though there are only 1.6% of foreigners here and statistic do show that the crime-rate is somewhat stable and that the vast majority of crimes is still committed by Japanese Nationals!

Nevertheless the public opinion perceives it differently! Visiting Japan as a foreigner is great and Japanese will be most generous, however if one wants to settle down here and live her permanently, that is a completely different story! Now most younger Japanese do have a different aptitude that is far remote from the government regulations and laws however the country is run by a generation that does still sees thing rather different.

Maybe they will succeed in building robots to replace the ageing population and countering the need for immigration this way. However, I am not sure that would be desirable from a human perspective! On the other hand, Japan does have movements such has the freiters, a Japanese grass root movement mainly made up by 18 to 30 year old Japanese that do demand change and reforms.

I did accidentally run into a demonstration this morning, organised by the Japanese National league or something like that. Any how, it was not pretty, very angry and strong anti North American and anti foreigner slogans. I was as usual in the wrong place at the wrong time and did stand really out as an outsider. My curiosity of course tried to understand what this was all about and I wanted to know what they where saying as well.

Hum, big mistake, I was not welcome even though the whole thing took place around the train station. Well, I eventually got the message and left. It is sad though to see that no matter where you go in the World, you will find those that preach racism, Nationalism and Sexism or some other form of discrimination and segregation! Now they may be a minority in most countries, however there are laud, aggressive and at times dangerous as well! The speaker at the demonstration was a Japanese Woman, flaked by two rather strong Man and the rest of the mob around her where all Japanese Man and Woman.

She reminded me the anti-Semitic speeches of Donna Mussolini in Italy. What struck me the most though where the Banners and arm sleeves they where wearing, those put me right back to the 1940th! Scary even to think of that sort of thing! When asking other Japanese about the display they seem to want to avoid the subject all together and would rather not be asked nor have to comment. Maybe embarrassed or annoyed, I am not sure wish though!? It does leave one with a strange felling, almost like an ice-cold run of down the spinal cord! We have learned very little trough out our Human history or we would not still have people such as Mussolini, Ben Laden or Le Pen being able to gather masses around them as well as sympathiser and supporter even if just a minority. They sure can worry you because they are extremist in the very sense of the word!

Ghandi, Buddha and Christ would turn in they graves and so would my own Father, if they knew how little we have learned!

Well, the older I get the more I understand a past German author that was asked why he was living in seclusion far away from civilisation and yet wrote so much about it at the same time, weather he hatted Humans so much that he avoided their contact!?

He replied that it was because he loved Humanity to much, that he had to seclude him self. For he could no longer watch Humanity learning so little and being so destructive with it self! I wonder what Confucius or Socrates would have said to all this!?

Well,as long as there is still life they shall be hope as well! Maybe we will over come our demons after all and learn at last!